Sacagawea

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Sacagawea Facts

Sacagawea is one of the famous women in history. She joined the expedition of Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark in May 1804 to September 1806.Sacagawea accompanied the group, showed them edible plants and helped them keep the peace. The National American Woman Suffrage Association adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence during the early part of the twentieth century.

Early Life

★ Sacagawea was born into an Agaidika (Salmon Eater) of Lemhi Shoshone tribe near Salmon, Idaho, in Lemhi County in 1788. She grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

Sacagawea Facts★ Sacagawea's father was the chief of the Shoshone tribe. They

were sometimes called the Snake Indians by the neighboring tribes and early American explorers.

★ In 1880, when Sacagawea was 12 years old, their tribe was attacked by a group of Hidatsa, a gun-wielding tribe, who kidnapped several girls including Sacagawea and held them captive. Sacagawea was taken as a slave to the Hidatsa’s village near present-day Washburn, North Dakota.

★ When Sacagawea was 13 years old, she was sold into a non-consensual marriage to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian explorer and trader living in the village. Some historians believe that Charbonneau won Sacagawea through gambling. She soon became pregnant with their first child.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

★ With the Louisiana Purchase executed in 1803 by President Thomas Jefferson, the United States acquired a large area of land from the French.

★ In 1804, President Jefferson asked his private secretary Captain Meriwether Lewis to explore and map the newly purchased western part of North America. Lewis gathered equipment and supplies needed for the expedition and he asked his friend Lieutenant William Clark to help by hiring and training men to accompany them.

Commander of the Corps of Discovery

Sacagawea Facts★ Their team was called the Corps

of Discovery. Located near the Missouri River, twelve miles from the site of present-day Washburn, North Dakota, they built Fort Mandan as their camp.

★ The unit interviewed several men, including Charbonneau, to hire a guide who could interpret or speak the Shoshone language.

★ Charbonneau was hired because Sacagawea could speak Shoshone. Lewis and Clark knew they would need the help of the Shoshone tribes at the headwaters of the Missouri.

★ Lewis recorded that Sacagawea gave birth to her son on February 11, 1805, and named him Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Clark called Sacagawea "Janey" while the boy was nicknamed "Pompy".

★ In April of 1805, the expedition commenced and Sacagawea brought her baby along, carrying him in a cradleboard tied to her back.

★ While traveling, one of their boats nearly capsized, Sacagawea was quick enough to save items such as crucial documents and journals of Lewis and Clark, navigational instruments and medicines. The men were impressed with her quick action and named the river after her.

★ By August 1805, the corps had located the Shoshone tribe where they met with the local chief to trade for horses to cross the Rocky Mountains. They brought in Sacagawea to translate for them and learned that the tribe's chief, Cameahwait, was her brother.

Sacagawea Facts★ Cameahwait agreed to trade

horses to the group and even provided them with a guide who helped them through the Rocky Mountains.

★ Their journey wasn't easy but Sacagawea helped to find and cook camas roots to help them regain their strength. Her knowledge helped her identify roots and plants that were either edible or medicinal. The presence of herself and her baby also made the whole corps seem less fearsome and more amiable to the Native Americans the Corps encountered.

★ When the corps reached the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast, Sacagawea gave up her beaded belt so that Lewis and Clark could trade for a fur coat for President Jefferson.

★ The expedition finally reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. All members of the expedition voted on November 24 on the location to build their winter fort, they called it Fort Clatsop. They stayed near the ocean and started home again in March of 1806.

"Lewis and Clark at Three Forks" by Edgar Samuel

Paxson

Lewis and Clark Expedition by Charles Marion Russell

Sacagawea Facts

★ On the return trip, they approached the Rocky Mountains in July 1806. Sacagawea informed Clark that they would discover a gap in the mountains, which is now known as Gibbons Pass. She also advised Clark to cross into the Yellowstone River, now known as Bozeman Pass. Later, it was chosen as the ideal route for the Northern Pacific Railway in crossing the continental divide.

★ It took them around six months to return home. At the end of the journey, Clark wrote to Charbonneau expressing his appreciation of their friendship and his fondness of Sacagawea's son. He indicated his intention of taking the boy and raising him as his own child.

Route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804-1806Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

Sacagawea FactsLife After the Expedition

★ Sacagawea and Charbonneau spent three years among the Hidatsa tribe after the expedition. Then they accepted William Clark's invitation to settle in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1809.

★ They entrusted Jean-Baptiste's education to Clark, who enrolled the young man in the Saint Louis Academy boarding school. Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter, Lizette, sometime after 1810.

Death

★ Not much is known of Sacagawea's life after this. Some historians suggest that she died at 25 of a fever on December 20, 1812, at Fort Manuel. Others argue that it was another wife of Charbonneau who died at Fort Manuel.

★ Others suggest that Sacagawea lived another seventy years and died on April 9, 1884.

★ In 1925, Dr. Charles Eastman, a Dakota Sioux physician, was hired to locate Sacagawea's remains. Dr. Eastman interviewed different elderly individuals in the tribe and they spoke of a woman, named Porivo who had mentioned a long journey wherein she had helped white men.

★ He also found a woman named Tacutine who said that Porivo was her grandmother. According to them, Porivo went back to Lemhi Shoshone at the Wind River Indian Reservation. There was a record that Porivo had a son named Bazil. Porivo is believed to have died on April 9, 1884. It was Eastman's conclusion that Porivo was Sacagawea.

★ A monument was built at Sacagawea’s Wyoming gravesite in 1963.

Sacagawea FactsIn Popular Culture

★ Several movies, documentaries and novels have featured Sacagawea.

★ In 1902, American suffragist Eva Emery Dye wrote and published The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark where she presented Sacagawea as a model of female bravery and intelligence.

★ In 1933, Grace Raymond Hebard published Sacajawea: Guide and Interpreter of Lewis and Clark to even greater success.

★ Another novel was published by Anna Lee Waldo in 1984 entitled Sacajawea. ★ Sacagawea was

featured in the Night at the Museum movie series. The role of Sacagawea was played by Mizuo Peck.

★ In 2002, Alex Rice played Sacagawea in the film Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West.

★ In 2000, the Sacagawea dollar was minted, which portrays the Shoshone princess that has been part of the expedition.

The Shoshone Princess

Name:

Sacagawea was known to assist the explorers Lewis and Clark as an interpreter. Write a short narrative about her life before and after the expedition.

Before the expedition

After the expedition

Shoshone Nation

Name:

Sacagawea was born of the Shoshone tribe, also known as the Snake Nation. Do additional research and describe the tribe’s way of life.

Culture Livelihood

Religious Beliefs Political Organization

HeroismName:

Sacagawea was an integral part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. There have been countless plaques and statues erected in her honor because of her bravery, heroism and contributions. Identify the statues and memorials dedicated to her below.

The Corps of DiscoveryWithout the help of Sacagawea, the Corps of Discovery might have failed on their journey. Write a narrative on how Sacagawea participated in the expedition.

Name:

Fill in the Facts

Let us review your knowledge about Sacagawea. Fill in the blanks to complete the facts about her life.

The _________ tribe kidnapped Sacagawea when she was twelve years old.

Sacagawea joined the explorers _________ and _________.

_________ was Sacagawea's husband.

Sacagawea met her brother, named _________, during the trip west.

Sacagawea was born in the modern-day U.S. state of _________.

Sacagawea was a member of the _________ tribe when she was a child.

Name:

Best Choice

The President who made the Louisiana Purchase.

Sacagawea's nickname.

The team Lewis formed to help him explore the west.

Sacagawea's son that was nicknamed Pompy.

Sacagawea's belonging that she gave up in exchange for a

fur for the President.

The fort that was built near the Missouri River.

Sacagawea's second child

Fort Mandan

Lizette

Belt

Thomas Jefferson

Corps of Discovery

Janey

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Sacagawea contributed to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Now, read the statements carefully and put the letters in the boxes that best match the statement.

Name:

Sacagawea vs. PocahontasPocahontas was also one of the most notable Native American women in U.S. history, just like Sacagawea. Compare the two iconic women with their traits and contributions.

Pocahontas Sacagawea

Name:

Turn of EventsName:

Sacagawea found her brother, Cameahwait, during the Corps trip.

Toussaint Charbonneau married Sacagawea.

The corps stayed at Fort Clatsop for the winter.

Sacagawea became part of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Sacagawea gave birth to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

Sacagawea was kidnapped by the Hidatsa tribe.

Arrange the following statements in chronological order from first to last by using the numbers 1 to 6.

Corps’ CrosswordSacagawea was an extraordinary woman who helped with the Corps' expedition and is an icon in history. Complete the Corps crossword using the clues below.

DOWN

1. A gun-possessing tribe2. Author of The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark3. Mother of Bazil who was believed to be Sacagawea

ACROSS

2. A physician that was sent to locate Sacagawea's remains4. A high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains in Montana5. A gift Lewis and Clark gave to President Jefferson

Name:

Fact or Fiction

Identify whether the statements about Sacagawea are fact or a fiction by putting them in the right group.

The National American Woman Suffrage Association adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence.

Sacagawea was hired by John Smith to explore the west of North America.

Sacagawea advised Clark to cross into the Yellowstone River, now known as Bozeman Pass.

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was adopted by Meriwether Lewis.

President Abraham Lincoln asked Lewis and Clark to explore and map the newly purchased western part of North America.

Name: